DUKE 
UNIVERSITY 
LIBRARY 

Treasure%qom 


Benehan  Cameron 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2014 


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MINUTES 


PROCEEDINGS 

OF  THE 

CLERGY  AND  LAY  DELEGATES 

OF  THE 

PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  CHURCHES 
OF  NORTH-CAROLINA, 

CONVENED  BY  APPOINTMENT,  THIS  24tH  DAY  OP 
APRIL,  1817, 

IN  CHRIST'S  CHURCH 

IN  THE  TOWN  OP  NEWBEBN. 

 ^ 

FAYETTEYILLE  : 

rUTNTED  AT  THE  OBSEBYEIl  OFTICE, 


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q  !/  7  ^> 


MIKUTES,  &c. 


Present— the  Rev.  Bethel  Ju«M,  Rector  of  St.  John's 
Church,  Fayetteville  ;  the  Rev.  J.  Curtis  Clay,  Rec- 
tor of  Christ's  Church,  Newbern  ;  the  Rev.  Adam 
Emple,  Rector  of  St.  James'  Church,  Wilmin,^ton  ; 
John  Stanley  and  John  S.  West,  Esquires,  Delegates 
from  Christ's  Church,  Newbern  ;  John  Winslow, 
Esq.  Delegate  from  St.  John's  Church,  Fayetteville  j 
Josiah  Collins,  jun.  Esq.  Representative  from  St.  Paul's 
Church,  Edenton ;  John  R,  London  and  MarsdenL 
Campbell,  Esq's.  Delegates  from  St.  James'  Churchy 
Wilmington. 

On  motion,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Judd  was  appointed 
Chairman,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Empie,  Secretary. 

On  motion.  Resolved,  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Clay  be  re- 
quested to  perform  divine  service,  and  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Judd  to  deliver  a  Sermon  this  forenoon. 

On  motion.  Resolved,  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Judd,  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Clay,  and  the  Rev.  Mr  Empie,  together 
with  Mr.  John  Stanley  and  Mr.  John  R.  London,  be 
appointed  a  committee,  to  draw  up  and  present  to 
this  meeting,  a  Constitution  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  of  this  State. 

Adjourned  until  one  o'clock. 

Divine  service  having  been  performed,  the  Clergy 
and  Lay  Delegates  convened  according  to  adjourn- 
ment, the  committee  presented  the  following 


Article  1,  The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in 
this  State,  accedes  to,  recognizes  and  ado])ts  the  ge- 
neral Constitution  of  the  Prott;s\int  Episcopal  Church 
of  the  United  States,  aad  acknowledges  its  authority 
accordingly. 


CONSriTUTIQN. 


P  1  <60  G  0 


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2.  There  shall  be  an  annual  convention  of  this 
Church,  on  the  second  Thursday  after  Easter,  at  such 
place  as  shall  be  fixed  by  each  preceding  conven- 
tion. 

3.  The  convention  shall  be  composed  of  such  re- 
gularly ordained  ministers  as  are  settled  in  this  State 
— such  as  are  employed  as  professors  or  instructors 
of  youth  in  incorporated  seminaries — of  such  as  are 
missionaries  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and 
of  one  or  more  Lay  Delegates,  for  each  Church,  cho- 
sen by  the  Vestry  or  Congregation  thereof. 

4.  Every  convention  shall  be  opened  with  prayer 
and  a  sermon  ;  and  the  preacher  shall  be  nominated 
by  the  ecclesiastical  authority  of  the  church. 

5.  A  president  shall  be  annually  appointed,  who 
shall  preside  in  all  meetings  of  the  convention,  ex- 
cept when  a  Bishop  shall  be  present,  who  shall,  ex 
officio,  be  president  of  said  convention. 

6.  A  secretary  shall  be  annually  chosen,  whose 
duty  it  shall  be  to  keep  a  record  of  the  proceedings, 
and  to  give  due  notice  to  each  minister  and  vestry, 
of  the  time  and  place  of  the  next  meeting  of  the  con- 
vention. 

7.  A  standing  committee  shall  be  annually  chosen, 
of  not  less  than  three  or  more  than  seven  persons, 
who  shall  have  pov/er  to  admit  candidates  for  the 
ministry  ;  and  until  a  Bishop  shall  have  been  appoint- 
ed, to  examine  tlte  testimonials  of  foreign  clergymen, 
to  call  special  meeting-s  of  the  convention,  and  to 
transact  all  such  other  business  as  they  arc  empow- 
ered to  do  by  the  constitution  and  canons  of  the  ge- 
neral convention. 

8.  In  all  matters  which  shall  come  before  the  con- 
vention, the  clergy  and  laity  shall  deliberate  in  one 
body  ;  and  in  voting,  the  clergy  shall  vote  by  indivi- 


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duals,  and  the  laity  by  congregations  :  but  if  in  any 
case  it  be  required  by  two  votes,  the  two  orders 
shall  vote  separately,  and  a  concurrence  shall  be  ne- 
cessary to  constitute  a  decision. 

9.  The  election  of  a  Bishop  of  this  diocese  shall 
be  made  in  convention  in  the  following- manner  :  The 
order  of  the  clergy  shall  nominate  and  appoint,  by 
ballot,  some  fit  and  qualified  clergyman  for  that  office 
— and  if  this  appointment  be  approved  of  by  the  lay 
order,  he  shall  be  declared  duly  elected.  In  the  a- 
hove  mentioned  nomination  and  appointment,  a  ma- 
jority of  each  order  shall  determine  the  choice  ;  pro- 
vided that  two  thirds  of  all  the  clerg-y  intitled  to 
votes  be  present,  and  two  thirds  of  all  the  congrega- 
tions intitledto  votes  be  represented,  otherwise  two 
tliirds  of  the  votes  of  each  order  shall  be  necessary 
to  determine  the  choice. 

10,  This  constitution  maybe  altered  or  amended 
by  a  concurrent  vote  of  two  thirds  of  the  attending 
members,  at  any  annual  meeting  of  the  convention, 

[Signed]  BETHEL  JUDD, 

Rector  of  St.  John's  Church,  Fayeiieville. 

ADA^.I  EMPIE, 
Rector  of  St.  James''  CJnirch,  iVUmington. 

J.  CURTIS  CLAY, 
Rector  of  Chrifi'g  Church,  J\*e-ivbern, 
JOHX  WINSLOW, 
Lay  Delegate  from  St.  John's  Church,  Fayetternlle. 

MAR5DEX  CA^JPBELL, 
JOHX  R.  LOXDOX, 
Lay  Delegates  from  St.  James*  Church,  Wilmington. 

.TOIIX  STAXLY, 
Jf)!fX  S.  WEST, 
Lay  Delegates  from  Chr-ist's  CJiurch,  JK'e-L^bem. 

JOS  I  AH  COLLINS,  Jutt. 
Representative  from  Si.  PauVs  Chjirch,  Edentvri, 
The  preceding  constitution  having  been  unani- 
raously  adopted  and  signed,  the  Rev.  Mr,  Judd  was 


1 

duly  elected  President,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Em  pie.  Se- 
cretary, for  the  ensuing  year.  The  following- gen- 
tlemen were  chosen,  also,  to  compose  the  standing 
committee — of  the  clergy,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Judd,  Mr. 
Cluy  and  Mr.  Empie  ;  and  of  the  laity,  Messrs.  John 
S.  West  of  Newbern,  John  Winslow  of  Fayetteville, 
John  B.  Blount  of  Edenton,  and  Marsden  Campbell 
of  Wilmington. 

On  motion,  Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  the  Constitu- 
tion now  adopted,  together  with  the  proceedings  of 
this  Convention,  be,  by  the  Secretary,  certified  to  the 
General  Convention  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  of  the  United  States,  with  a  request,  that,  a- 
greeably  to  the  fifth  article  of  the  Constitution,  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  in  this  State,  may  be 
recognized  and  admitted  to  representation. 

Resolved,  That  the  right  Rev.  R.  C.  Moore,  the 
Bishop  of  Virginia,  be  invited  to  visit  and  perform 
the  Episcopal  offices  in  this  State,  agreeably  to  the 
20th  canon  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of  the 
United  States. 

Resolved,  That  the  President  of  the  Convention 
present  this  invitation  to  the  right  Rev.  Bishop 
Moore,  together  with  a  copy  of  the  Constitution  and 
proceedings  of  the  Convention. 

Resolved, 'Y\vjii\\\e  Rev.  Mr.  Judd  and  Mr.  Moses 
Jarvis  of  Newbern  be  appointed  Delegates  to  the 
ensuing  general  Convention  of  the  Protestant  Epis-. 
copal  Ciuirch  of  the  United  States. 

Resolved,  That  the  next  annual  Convention  be  hol- 
den  at  Fayetteville. 

Adjourned  until  4  o'clock. 


!NTet  pursuant  to  adjournment.  The  preceding 
minutes  were  read  and  approved. 


On  motion,  Resolved^  that  the  Secretary  cause  200 
copies  of  the  Constitution  to  be  printed,  and  that  he 
distribute  the  same,  equally,  among-  the  congrega- 
tions here  represented. 

Resolved,  That  it  is  expedient  that  the  rectors  of 
the  several  Churches  cause  an  annual  collection,  in 
their  respective  Churches,  for  the  support  of  a  Mis- 
sionary in  this  State  ;  and  that  the  same  be  a  fund 
subject  to  tlie  order  of  the  Convention. 

Resolved,  That  the  llev.  Mr.  Clay  be  a  committee  to 
select  or  to  draw  up  such  canons  as  he  may  deem 
most  expedient,  and  to  report  the  same  to  the  next 
convention. 

(Signed)  BETHEL  JUDD, 

President  of  the  Convention, 

Attested, 
Adam  E^isiBf  Secretary, 


